(2) You Might Want to Be Grateful (2)

Chu Duong watched as Lam Pham left.

He looked down at the boy standing before him, who wore the expression of a harmless creature.

"Uncle..."

Smack!

Chu Duong's hand sent the boy sprawling to the ground with a single slap.

The boy clutched his face, looking up in terror from the ground. Chu Duong's expression was grim, his gaze utterly indifferent, holding a cold, shadowy glint.

It was as if a terrifying being shrouded in shadows was looking down upon him.

"Remember this. I don't care who you are or how vicious you are. In here, I am the law. Dare to break my rules, and you will surely face severe punishment."

"Officer Hoang can't do anything to you because you're a minor. Brother Lam won't personally eliminate you; that is his kindness. But I, as the warden of this place, am the nemesis of crime. Any criminal who comes here will be made to regret the things they have done."

"I am the warden, Chu Duong."

Chu Duong had completely immersed himself in the duties of a warden.

Both his behavior and his aura were a perfect fit for the role.

"I didn't..."

Even at this moment, the boy still pretended to be wronged.

"Ha ha."

Chu Duong laughed coldly, bent down, and snatched the boy up by the collar, staring directly into his eyes. "You little demon, with your vile heart. Do you think you can fool me and get away with it? When dealing with your kind, others might see you as a child and show you mercy, but I... I won't do that."

"As it happens, let me introduce you to a few roommates. I think they'll like you."

He dragged the boy towards the prison block.

Under the influence of the prison, Chu Duong's mindset had changed. When he first became warden, he was still thinking about how to be a qualified one. Later, he understood that a qualified warden must make all criminals fear him.

He didn't need respect, nor did he need admiration. What he wanted was the deep-seated fear of these criminals.

So that if, by some one-in-a-million chance, someone truly met the requirements and left the prison to integrate into the Sunshine Shelter...

He wanted to make it so that whenever that person thought of doing anything wrong, the first thing that came to mind would be the fear of returning to prison.

The boy struggled, but he found that the man's hand was like an iron vise; no matter how much he struggled, it was useless.

Along the way, Cao Bac saw Chu Duong treating a boy so roughly and came over to ask. Upon learning that Lam Pham had brought him and that he had committed many unimaginable evil deeds, he casually mentioned to Chu Duong that such a vicious criminal should be sent to that particular cell.

When he found out that Chu Duong was indeed heading to that cell, Cao Bac couldn't help but laugh. Sure enough, they had the same idea.

Soon.

In a cell at the end of the hall, there were four inmates.

All four were Awakened.

A one-eyed man sat on the side of a bed, one foot propped up, his head tilted, his sharp gaze fixed on the outside.

A portly man lay on his bed like a corpse, staring blankly at the ceiling.

A man with a lean, muscular body was doing push-ups, his sweat soaking the ground as he moved up and down.

A bald man was rubbing his head, chuckling like a madman, "Heh heh heh."

Don't underestimate the four men in this cell. They were the most stubborn ones, but they had been thoroughly tamed by Chu Duong and Cao Bac.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The sound of footsteps approached.

Hearing the footsteps, the expressions of the four men changed drastically. They quickly stood up, orderly and unwavering, standing in a perfectly still line, their eyes staring straight ahead, not daring to shift their gaze.

Until that familiar figure appeared in their line of sight.

"Greetings, Warden!"

They shouted in unison.

Their voices were full of energy.

The sound was very loud.

Chu Duong nodded with great satisfaction. The four seemingly ferocious criminals became very obedient, like well-behaved children, upon seeing him.

No one is ferocious all the time. When they meet someone more ferocious than them, they turn into little rabbits, incredibly docile.

"Mm, very good performance. It seems your rehabilitation during this period has been effective," Chu Duong said, having learned from Lam Pham that good performance would often receive his generous praise.

Upon receiving the praise, the four men couldn't help but lift their heads.

A little bit proud.

"This is all thanks to the warden's excellent teaching. We have learned many things from the warden, and we will certainly continue to work hard and strive to reform ourselves."

"Wrong. It's not my teaching that is good. It is because Brother Lam was willing to give you a chance to reform. If you want to be grateful, thank him. Otherwise, I'll make you regret ever seeing me."

"Yes, we are grateful to Brother Lam! We thank Brother Lam for giving us a chance at a new life!"

Chu Duong was very satisfied. He opened the cell door and threw the boy straight in. With a thud, his body collided with the cement floor, and the boy cried out in pain.

The four criminals looked at the boy with suspicion.

What was the deal with this kid?

Chu Duong said, "He is the youngest criminal in our Hoang City prison. He has committed endless evil deeds, is skilled at hiding, and is extremely deceitful and vile. I'm bringing him to you, hoping you will 'educate' him well."

When he said the word "educate," he enunciated it very heavily.

What its true meaning was...

A smart person should understand.

"Yes, please rest assured, Warden. We will definitely educate him well."

Chu Duong nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.

As the warden left, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Then, they looked at the boy, and sinister smiles spread across their faces.

"Nice, really nice. An interesting new toy has arrived. Brothers, you all heard the warden's words. We have to educate him properly."

"But don't kill him, or the warden will kill us."

The four criminals closed in on the boy, letting out dark, sinister chuckles.

In the distance, Chu Duong heard the tragic screams.

A smile touched the corner of his mouth.

He had never seen Lam Pham be so harsh with a child, sending him directly to prison without even arranging for a separate cell to prevent bullying from other survivors.

What did this show?

It showed that Brother Lam didn't want to be bothered with it, and how it was handled was the business of him, the warden.

So, could he possibly let Brother Lam down?

Absolutely not.

Nighttime.

Room 704.

Lam Pham flipped through the later contents of the "Zombie Illustrated Guide", shaking his head and sighing. The very last section was his advice to the survivors.

Unfortunately, he knew that very few, if any, would take his words to heart.

He deeply felt the horror of the apocalypse.

It wasn't how terrifying the zombies were, but how the living had changed because of the apocalypse—becoming strange, cold, and cruel.

He was human and was also easily swayed by emotions.

He could not achieve true impartiality.

He could only guarantee that he wouldn't rely on his own strength to harm others without reason. Of course, when faced with danger and actively attacked by others, he would defend himself.

And with a single strike, completely strip the opponent of their ability to resist.

He checked the interface.

[Name]: Lam Pham

[Strength]: 30,369,210 (Limitless)

[Stamina]: 15,349,760 (Limitless)

[Speed]: 13,463,680 (Limitless)

[Points]: 4

"Over 50 million points, tens of millions of zombies... I've been working hard all this time, but it seems it will take a very, very long time to completely eradicate all the zombies."

The tide of zombies was like an ocean.