(1) If You Can Cooperate as a Team, Never Go It Alone (1)

"Old brother Chu, a wise man submits to circumstances. Getting close early has its benefits. A person in this life must learn to yield to others."

Ha Khanh stood up, positioned himself behind Chu Duong, and pressed his hands on Chu Duong's shoulders, patting them gently.

Then he said no more.

What needed to be said had been said.

The thoughts were his own.

He couldn't possibly force Chu Duong's choice. If it were in the past, he wouldn't have said these things, but his current mentality and thoughts had changed. To put it simply...

Positive energy.

No faults.

Chu Duong watched Ha Khanh's departing figure, didn't get up to see him off, but remembered the words he had just spoken.

He sighed.

"This person's change is just too fast."

The Ha Khanh of the past wasn't like this. It seemed that when a person undergoes a change, it truly is an unimaginable thing.

He picked up the Zombie Picture Book and carefully flipped through it again.

Ability user advancement restrictions.

These were all data Lam Pham had figured out, indicating that the Awakened ones over at the Duong Quang shelter had already experienced rapid improvement, even reaching the levels recorded in this book.

At this moment.

The street.

"Is your throat hoarse already?"

Lam Pham hadn't expected that even a Screamer-type zombie would have times when its throat was hoarse. Its voice was no longer as loud, sharp, and piercing as before, but so hoarse it couldn't even shriek.

The Screamer-type zombie seemed oblivious to what it was doing.

Each of its hoarse cries brought devastating blows to its compatriots, yet it continued to shriek, and its companions still responded to its call, coming towards the sound.

This, perhaps, was a kind of mutual affection that made one irresistibly fond of it.

Lam Pham looked at the sky; it was getting late.

Looking again at the Screamer-type zombie's condition, he shook his head, didn't think much more. Seeing an iron chain, he chained the Screamer-type zombie to a pipe on the rooftop.

"I'm going home. You rest well. Your throat is very important. Wait for me."

Lam Pham leaped down from the rooftop, went into a pharmacy, bought some pills, and then returned to the rooftop, stuffing a lozenge into the Screamer-type zombie's mouth.

Sore throat lozenges, even Ronaldo said they were good after gnawing on them.

Absolutely no problem.

"Ooh..."

The sky gradually dimmed.

The bound Screamer-type zombie raised its head, its pale eyes looking at the sky, letting out a hoarse shriek.

If it had thoughts.

Perhaps it would be saying, is this something a human can do?

Duong Quang shelter.

Survivors gathered in groups of threes and fives, some drinking hard liquor, some drinking beer, while children drank beverages, their round eyes wide as they watched the adults brag.

An auntie wearing an apron, holding a pot, looked left and right, as if searching for something. Very quickly, she saw a child, not far away, feasting on free food on the street. Hands on her hips, she strode over menacingly, appearing behind the child.

The child, drinking fruit juice, looked expectantly at the uncles telling stories. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his back, as if a pair of eyes were staring intently at him.

He turned his head.

"Mom..."

The auntie grabbed the child's ear, "You came out to play as soon as school ended. Have you finished the homework the teacher assigned?"

"Not yet."

"Then why aren't you hurrying home with your old mother to do your homework?"

"Oh."

The child, head drooping, bid farewell to several uncles and obediently went home.

This situation made the group of feasting and bragging people laugh out loud.

"Aiya, give the child some time to play."

"Yeah, yeah, the child probably never thought that even with the apocalypse here, he still has to study."

The auntie, hands on her hips, looked at them, "As if you all don't want to work."

Several burly men helplessly scratched their heads and said no more.

Indeed, when it came to children's education, women often paid more attention. If anyone interfered and tried to stop it, they would definitely get a scolding.

After the auntie left with the child.

This group of burly men discussed.

"Sigh, in this apocalypse, our life like this isn't bad."

"Yeah, a long time ago I thought I would die. I didn't expect to come here and be revived again."

"What do you guys think life will be like in the future?"

"It will definitely get better and better."

"I know that. I wanted to ask, do you think it will return to its former prosperity?"

"Definitely. I believe in Brother Lam, and I also believe in the soldiers who came to our place. As long as we are given time to catch our breath, we can create a brand new city with our own hands."

They drank and discussed, imagining the future. In the past, they probably wouldn't have dared to think about it.

But now, they truly dared to think, and even dared to take action.

Rooftop of the shop.

"That strong?"

Quan Hao listened as Lao Chung returned and told him about the situation that had occurred earlier, his mouth agape in shock.

"Even Dong Gia is that formidable?"

He thought of Dong Gia being trained by Brother Hang. She was a little girl who would cry out in exhaustion at the very beginning of training. Now, hearing Lao Chung say these things, Dong Gia wearing battle armor, chopping zombies like chopping vegetables, truly made him feel that women really couldn't be underestimated, truly fierce.

Lao Chung said: "That's for sure. No bragging, even I might not be able to beat Dong Gia. If it were a fight to the death, I would be the one to die. This woman is not someone you can casually underestimate."

"Huh?"

"What's so 'huh' about it? You have to know Dong Gia's awakened ability, which is to predict actions two seconds ahead. This is like rock-paper-scissors; you go first, she goes later, holding you firmly."

"That's not right. I read the Zombie Picture Book. The Fusion-type zombie that Brother Lam recorded also has predictive abilities, wasn't it still killed by my Brother Lam?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Quan Hao realized he had made a foolish mistake again. Damn, he actually asked such a foolish question.

As expected...

Lao Chung looked at Quan Hao very strangely. The meaning in his eyes seemed to be saying, how could you ask such a simple and dull-witted question? Are you still the Quan Hao I know?

Faced with such clearly meaningful eyes, Quan Hao blushed, "That's not what I meant."

Lao Chung patted Quan Hao's shoulder and said: "I understand."

"I really didn't mean that."

Lao Chung nodded, "Mhm, I understand."

Quan Hao sighed. Alright, as long as he understood. What exactly Lao Chung understood, he didn't know.

Just then.

Quan Hao saw a figure appear in the distance on the street. Looking closely, it was clearly Lam Pham. Under the shroud of dusk, that figure gave people an indescribable feeling, as if it was gradually rising under the glow of the setting sun.

Big brother had always gone out very early and returned when dusk was already setting in.

Regaining his senses.

Quan Hao hurriedly came down from the shop rooftop, opened the door, and welcomed Brother Lam.

Very quickly.

Lam Pham walked into the shelter and said with a smile: "Thanks."

Quan Hao said: "Big brother, why are you being so polite with me?"

Lam Pham carried his sword on his back, a bag in his hand, stuffed full.

Quan Hao saw the full bag and knew his big brother had reaped a lot. Thinking of his big brother's abilities, it was definitely a matter of course. For others to return safely from an outing was something worth celebrating.

But in Quan Hao's eyes, if his big brother returned without bringing back some spoils, that would be the truly strange thing.

"Lao Chung." Lam Pham waved his hand.

Lao Chung jumped down from the shop rooftop and walked towards Lam Pham, smiling foolishly, "Today, Dong Gia and the others and I went out to hunt zombies. We searched for a long time before finding any."

Lam Pham said: "Very normal. I'm currently working hard to clear the surrounding zombies. Soon, the number in Hoang City will be extremely low. At that time, I'll have to trouble you to take Chuc Thanh around to look, in case any slip through the net."

"No problem." Lao Chung nodded.

Lam Pham waved the bag in his hand and said: "White crystals are useless to you all now. These are for you. You keep the white crystals for me, waiting for new Awakened ones to appear."

"Mhm, okay."

Lao Chung wasn't polite. If they could become stronger, they could reduce a bit of pressure for Lam Pham. Perhaps this pressure was very small, but for those staying here, no one wanted to be useless.

Night.

Lam Pham called Professor Ha.

"Professor Quy's signal is still there, right?"

Lam Pham knew Professor Quy had been injected with lucky cells and his own situation had changed, forcing him to leave the base. At the same time, thinking of leaving a research subject for the base, he had implanted a locator in his arm.

Professor Ha said: "Mhm, it's been moving constantly. I haven't continued researching the lucky cell situation. Unless I can see Quy Thu Nguyet's condition, I can't determine which direction this is heading."

Lam Pham said: "Professor Ha, you should have seen the Zombie Picture Book we sent you, right?"

"I've seen it. It's a great help to us. The only regret is that we don't have any Awakened ones here, and the probability of Awakened ones appearing now is really too low."

When Professor Ha saw the Zombie Picture Book, he immediately regarded its contents as a classic treasure.

Seeing the data on Awakened ability advancement.

His expression was truly regretful.

If only there could be more Awakened ones, how good would that be.

Lam Pham said: "Professor Ha, some things can't be forced. Let's take it slow. For now, I can only do what's within my capabilities. Right now, I can only do some small things within my power, such as completely cleaning up the zombies in Hoang City."

Professor Ha: ...

He remained silent.

"You've worked hard." Professor Ha's mood wasn't as oppressive as before, mostly because of Lam Pham's existence. This made him see real hope.

Lam Pham said slowly: "If the world can be restored to its former state, this hardship is nothing."

Professor Ha listened to Lam Pham's words.

In his mind, he thought about the situation of the world being restored to its former state.

It felt very difficult.

Population deficit, countless deaths. It would be pretty good to be able to hold onto one city.

"Lam Pham, I'm preparing to have the people from Ngan Ha base and Sa Mac base come to your side first. Their research can stop here for now. The current situation doesn't require too many bases. Keeping Long Cung base is enough."

This was something Professor Ha had carefully considered.

Some time ago, Lam Pham had mentioned this to him.

He thought, no hurry, no hurry, let's continue researching and see. But now, the research had hit a bottleneck. Without clarifying the lucky cells, this path was difficult to develop.

"Okay, I'll have them pick them up tomorrow."

Hanging up the phone.

Lam Pham raised his head and looked at the ceiling.

"Professor Ha seems calm, but I can hear that he is very tired, extremely mentally exhausted."

Emotions suppressed in the heart, even if one didn't want others to know, could still be heard in the tone of voice.

Early morning.

Dong Gia, Chuc Thanh, Chung Han Quoc, and Diep Thien, four Awakened ones, along with more than ten fully armed soldiers, boarded the transport plane.

The mission they were undertaking was to pick up the experts from Ngan Ha base and Sa Mac base.

Those places were located in remote areas.

Few zombies.

Even fewer evolved zombies.

"Wow, this is a military transport plane, it's so big."

Chuc Thanh looked at the transport plane, his eyes lighting up, and said excitedly: "If I'm not mistaken, this is the Yun-20, right?"

The armed soldier smiled and said: "No, this is the Long Teng-22. It was put into service eleven years ago. Compared to the Yun-20 you mentioned, it has significant improvements. It can cope with various complex meteorological conditions. The engine and various equipment have been upgraded, and the payload is larger."

"Oh, I thought it looked similar," Chuc Thanh nodded.

Then he followed the group onto the ramp and into the interior.

This was his first time boarding a military transport plane. If this were in the past, it would have been impossible for his entire life. After all, he was a bit fat; even if he enlisted, people might not necessarily want him.

Dong Gia and the others also looked around curiously.

They didn't know much about military matters, just felt a bit curious.

Very quickly, the transport plane took off. They could feel the kind of power during takeoff.

This was their first time leaving Hoang City to pick up people from outside.

And the places they were going were still two bases.

Just thinking about it felt incredibly cool.

Flying all the way, Chuc Thanh even wondered if he would get airsick or something, but the journey felt pretty good.

After a while.

He heard a broadcast announcement.

"We have now reached the vicinity of Sa Mac base and are preparing to land. Everyone, get ready."

The pilot's voice came from the broadcast.

Chuc Thanh and the others felt the sensation of descending.

The soldiers guarding outside Sa Mac base looked at the transport plane preparing to land in the far distance, raising their heads. They had received orders that starting today, Sa Mac base would be completely evacuated and relocated to the Hoang City shelter.

They knew that the Duong Quang shelter in Hoang City had a survivor named Lam Pham who was very formidable.

How formidable exactly, they didn't know much, but they knew he was very formidable.

The transport plane landed on the runway and began to taxi. After a moment, it came to a complete stop.

Chuc Thanh didn't even need others to remind him; he knew what he should do, which was to observe the surroundings for any zombies. After all, this was what a support person should do.

"Attention, there are more than thirty zombies rushing towards us, one of which is a Speed-type zombie."

As the zombie horde entered Chuc Thanh's range.

The situation of all the zombies was clearly seen by him.

"Received."

Lao Chung, carrying a shield, was the first to exit the cabin. The surrounding area was filled with yellow sand, giving him a sense of desolation. The scientific researchers staying at this kind of base must be very lonely.

Diep Thien followed calmly behind.

Dong Gia held a straight blade, her metal battle armor clanging against the deck, producing a crisp sound.

"Chuc Thanh, keep a close watch. Remind us immediately if there's any news."

Chuc Thanh said: "I understand."

He continued to look around. Apart from the zombies he had just seen, he didn't see any other zombies.

The accompanying armed soldiers also disembarked, but Dong Gia didn't let them open fire. After all, this place hadn't been cleared by Brother Lam. Even if there were hidden zombies, they wouldn't have heard any movement. If the sound of gunfire attracted the attention of a large number of zombies, it would still be a bit troublesome.

Lao Chung let Diep Thien rest the sniper rifle on his shoulder, "Little Diep, begin."

"Oh."

Diep Thien liked long-range shooting. The figure of a zombie appeared in the high-magnification scope. With a "biu," the head of the rushing zombie was instantly blown up, and its body, impacted by the force, flew backwards.

Biu!

Biu!

One after another, ordinary zombies had their heads blown up.

The time between shots was very short.

The group of fully armed soldiers watched in awe and admiration. Truly a heroine among women. This level of accuracy, without many years of training, was simply impossible.

Were more than thirty zombies terrifying?

Definitely very terrifying.

But just because they were terrifying, could they not be killed? Obviously not.

"Leave the Speed-type zombie to me," Dong Gia stepped forward and said.

Lao Chung said: "Charge bravely, I'm still here."

Dong Gia, carrying her straight blade, rushed towards the Speed-type zombie in front. When she was within a certain distance, she had already predicted the Speed-type zombie's next move.

"Jumping up, trying to knock me to the ground?"

The Speed-type zombie still didn't know that its next move had already been figured out by the humans. It roared ferociously, leaping up, wanting to knock the human to the ground.

Splat!

The straight blade, enhanced by crystals, cut the Speed-type zombie in half.

For the Speed-type zombie, it probably never thought, "I just jumped up, and just as I was about to pounce on you, you moved your body and cut me in half with one strike. Aren't you just too damn cunning?"

"If Brother Hang saw my technique this time, he would definitely approve highly. Clean and neat."

Dong Gia muttered to herself.

Then she decisively cut open its head and took out the crystal within.

They could have their current combat capabilities thanks to Brother Lam's cultivation, constantly feeding them with crystals. Even an awakened pig could become a pig hero.

The armed soldiers looked at the scene before them, exchanging glances.

"This is the terror of the Awakened ones."

They had seen Lam Pham's abilities.

Their tolerance was naturally very high.

But seeing others being equally formidable, there was envy, excitement, and even more, a kind of expectation. If there were more and more such people, wouldn't the future be even more beautiful?

The next matter was very easy to resolve.

Professor Ha had already spoken to the people at Sa Mac base about this matter. The research would be interrupted here. The real difficult problem was what Professor Ha was continuing to research.

Although some people wanted to try again.

But the real situation was just like that. Professor Ha had also told them that Hoang City was the true hopeful home for humanity, needing them to build it, not to huddle in this place researching cells that currently had no direction.

One by one, important equipment was transported onto the transport plane.

Among them were enhanced battle armors.

The scientific researchers looked at the base and sighed. They hadn't expected to leave. Before the apocalypse, they came here to research the tasks assigned to them by the country. They had stayed like this for many years and couldn't even contact the outside world.

But who could have thought... they would actually have to leave.

Previously, after the apocalypse erupted, they immediately stopped what they were doing and focused on researching the zombie situation.

Whatever the country needed, they researched. If they didn't understand, they learned. Once they learned, they used it. Mistakes weren't feared; they continued to learn.

Just as many scientific researchers were walking towards the transport plane.

A young man stood there, not moving at all.

"Little Xu, let's go."

"I'm not going."

"Why?"