(1) You Might Want to Be Grateful (1)

"That's exactly how it is."

Lam Pham looked at the boy. This kid was exploiting a loophole in Officer Hoang's principles.

Officer Hoang would not do anything against the rules; the law was clearly written.

Anyone under the age of fourteen, no matter what socially harmful act they commit, bears no criminal responsibility. It is the age of complete non-culpability.

Even for murder, arson, robbery, or assault, it was the same.

Even those who were over fourteen but under eighteen would receive lighter or reduced sentences.

The law gives them a chance to start over, but who gives the victims a chance to live again? That is not a fair thing.

The times have changed. The era of simple innocence is over.

With the progress of the era, information flows like a torrent, flooding into every corner.

The internet, phones, videos, advertisements...

They are everywhere.

Children's mindsets have undergone earth-shattering changes compared to those of past eras; their psychological age is much more mature.

Perhaps in the past, children of the same age didn't even know the difference between boys and girls.

But now, they have probably viewed it hundreds of thousands of times in various groups on their mobile phones.

Some even have practical experience, surpassing what many adults can keep up with, forcing them to admit defeat.

The boy before him was only twelve, but he was already over 1.6 meters tall, taller than even some adults.

"Grr... grr..."

Officer Hoang let out a low growl at Lam Pham, then turned and left, heading into the distance. He needed to continue moving forward, clearly leaving this difficult matter for Lam Pham to handle.

"He just left like that."

Lam Pham watched Officer Hoang's departing figure gradually disappear at the far end of the horizon, sighing with a bit of helplessness. He then turned to the boy, who looked completely innocent.

This was a fellow who was very good at hiding his true nature.

"Why did you do those things?" Lam Pham asked slowly.

The boy, with an innocent look on his face, said, "I didn't. I didn't do anything. I'm only twelve. I'm really scared."

Phung Tinh said, "Stop pretending. You should know who I am. Your act might fool others, but you can't fool me."

The boy looked at Phung Tinh and the people beside her. They were indeed familiar faces, people who had lived in the shelter with him before.

He recalled the situation just now.

It was truly terrifying.

That guy in armor was like a demon emerging from the abyss, impervious to all weapons. The men with guns all had their heads smashed by him.

Everyone had their heads smashed. But he and a few other lucky ones were not killed. He felt that there must be something special about him, which was why he was spared.

"I didn't..."

Phung Tinh and the others knew his situation, but more importantly, he was a twelve-year-old child. He had a definite advantage in age. As long as he insisted that he wasn't like that, nothing should happen to him.

Lam Pham was thinking about how to deal with this boy.

Kill him on the spot?

He couldn't do such a thing; it wasn't in his character.

Leave him here to fend for himself, and just take the others away?

That was also an option.

But there was still a problem. If this boy encountered other survivors and deceived them, leading to their harm, he would bear an inescapable responsibility.

"Perhaps I should lock him in prison until he's old enough to be held criminally responsible. Then, I can let Officer Hoang meet with him. At that time, all problems can be solved."

Lam Pham had figured it out. This was the best outcome.

He looked at the boy.

"Your age is not an excuse for your evil deeds. Your disguise is useless in front of me. Rest assured, I won't kill you. You can go to Hoang City, but the Sunshine Shelter is not a place for you. You should go somewhere else."

Lam Pham wouldn't think of giving him a chance just because he was a twelve-year-old boy.

Phung Tinh had been very clear with him.

She always kept a guard up in her heart.

One could not underestimate anyone in the apocalypse who had their own independent thoughts.

They could be good people.

But they could also be demons.

Or even demons skilled at hiding.

They would often strike a fatal blow when you let your guard down.

"Brother Lam..." Phung Tinh wanted to say something.

Lam Pham waved his hand and smiled, "It's alright, I understand. Officer Hoang entrusting him to me is a sign of his trust. He knows I'll handle it properly."

Phung Tinh looked at Lam Pham. Alright, she chose to trust Lam Pham.

Hoang City's Sunshine Shelter.

Lam Pham brought them here. When Phung Tinh and the others got out of the car, they were completely dazed, looking down at their watches with wide eyes, as if they were in a dream.

They had wondered how he could be so fast, and now they completely understood.

"This is the Sunshine Shelter. From now on, you will live here. This is Quan Hao; he will register your information. Now that you're here, just think of this place as your home. Don't have any burdens on your mind; the things you're worried about don't exist here."

Lam Pham smiled. He believed that the hope of life could envelop them, allowing them to see a beautiful future.

Doing such things was truly a very joyful matter.

It often seemed repetitive.

But when he saw the survivors who arrived here reveal that kind of joy of being reborn, his own spirits would lift. This was the motivation that supported him and kept him going all this time.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Phung Tinh and the others expressed their gratitude. Seeing the situation here, they also felt as if they were in a dream, with an indescribable sense of emotion.

"No need to thank me."

Lam Pham smiled. Everyone who came here said the same thing, and he accepted it calmly.

Hoang City Prison.

At this moment, the sound of slow reading could be heard.

"Chu Duong, what is that sound?"

Lam Pham asked with curiosity. He felt that the prison had been brought to life, filled with a kind of ambition. There were prisoners in prison uniforms squatting and pulling weeds, and others were moving things.

Everyone was behaving properly, and their morale was different from before. This was the beginning of progress.

"Brother Lam, they have been studying for a long time. I felt they should have gained some insights, so I had them write down their feelings and changes during this period, and then recite them on the stage. I feel the effect will be better this way."

When Chu Duong spoke of this situation, he felt that his abilities were quite good. The prison was his stage to go all out and make a big splash.

A place to display his own abilities.

If he couldn't even manage a prison, how could he take on a greater burden in the future?

He knew that the future Hoang City Sunshine Shelter would be the central city for humanity, forming a new society and heading towards a beautiful future under Lam Pham's leadership.

Of course, within this social structure, there would definitely be many positions that needed people to take charge.

To be honest, if there were elections, he was confident enough to run for a position just below Lam Pham. Even as a second-in-command, he believed he had the ability.

The only ones who could compete with him were a few others, but who knew if they could succeed without trying.

Fair competition, no problem.

Lam Pham praised, "A very good initiative. You've managed the prison very well. I believe they will surely be better rehabilitated."

"Brother Lam, you trust me, so I definitely can't let you down. The coordination between me and Cao Bac is seamless. No matter what kind of criminal comes here, I won't say much else, but I guarantee they'll be taught to be obedient, with their hearts turned towards the light, and filled with positive energy," Chu Duong said with a solemn oath.

"Take your time, don't put too much pressure on yourself," Lam Pham said.

Chu Duong nodded, then saw the boy standing next to Lam Pham and asked with confusion, "Brother Lam, what's the situation with this child?"

Anyone brought here by Brother Lam was basically someone who didn't meet the requirements, or even needed to be imprisoned. But since the apocalypse began, he had never seen a child brought here by Brother Lam. They all lived in the Sunshine Shelter, leading normal lives.

Their busiest task each day was studying.

Lam Pham explained the boy's situation. Chu Duong's eyes widened as he listened, as if he never imagined a child so young could be so vicious. Even back when he hadn't joined the Sunshine Shelter and been enveloped by Brother Lam's light, he had never harbored such malicious thoughts.

His expression went from calm just a moment ago to a frown now.

Chu Duong's gaze towards the boy gradually turned cold.

A beast does not distinguish between male or female, old or young.

Some people are born with evil in their genes.

If he had met this child alone outside, he probably wouldn't have thought so much. After all, who would have thought that a young boy could be such a terrifying existence?

Torturing others to death, and even taking pleasure in it.

Killing someone who hurt you is understandable.

But to even want to kill a pregnant woman...

And to start committing evil acts even when everyone was still normal and united... honestly, this was truly incomprehensible. Vicious, truly too vicious.

"Brother Lam, don't worry. Leave him to me. I will discipline him well," Chu Duong said.

"Good. I'm relieved to leave him with you."

Lam Pham was quite at ease with Chu Duong. His abilities were plain to see. Many of the survivors in the prison were Awakened, arrogant and lawless, very difficult to manage. But the scenes he saw now all showed that under the management of Chu Duong and Cao Bac, these survivors had shown visible improvement.