(1) As Always, Someone Quietly Steps Forward, The Sole Resistance (1)

The situation reversed with astonishing speed.

It was beyond imagination.

Officer Hoang, their protector, was immensely powerful. Yet that very same formidable officer had been beaten by the zombie, left with no strength to retaliate.

And now, that even more formidable zombie was being thrashed by Lam Pham to the point it couldn't tell which way was up.

The scene left them staring, wide-eyed and dumbfounded.

"Argh... Argh..."

The fusion-type zombie struggled back to its feet, wanting to flee but unable to escape. What good was its precognitive ability when it was simply impossible to evade the attacks?

"How does it feel? From the moment you fought Officer Hoang, your fate was already sealed."

Lam Pham gazed at the fusion-type zombie, which now wore a timid expression. When the difference in strength was this vast, even a zombie understood to flee when outmatched, to never confront its opponent head-on.

Unfortunately for it... escaping was not an option for the fusion-type zombie.

It could only leave if Lam Pham was willing to let it go.

Otherwise, escape was just a dream.

"It's time to end this. The crystal in your head will serve as compensation for Officer Hoang," Lam Pham said slowly.

The fusion-type zombie foresaw what was coming next.

Its head was flung high into the air, separated from its body.

It still wanted to run.

But the moment it turned, its vision soared upwards, as if spinning. Then, its gaze fell, and in its brief field of view, the closest thing was the ground.

It knew its head had been severed by its opponent.

Chu Quy and the others' jaws dropped, wide enough to fit a cow. They witnessed the zombie's head spinning in mid-air, yet they hadn't seen how Lam Pham had struck. Perhaps it was a movement at the peak of speed, one that could ignore time and space, imperceptible to the naked human eye.

"It's... over?" Chu Quy mumbled to himself.

"It should have ended long ago. The reason it ended now was because he was avenging Officer Hoang." Old Wang saw it clearly. Lam Pham had the ability to kill the zombie in an instant, but he'd dragged it out because he saw how badly Officer Hoang had been beaten. His heart was filled with discontent, so he made sure to torture the zombie for Officer Hoang's sake.

At that moment.

Lam Pham cut open the fusion-type zombie's head and took out the multicolored crystal. He brought it over to Officer Hoang. Right now, Officer Hoang was not in good shape. His body was severely damaged, and his arm had been severed. The only way to recover was to consume a high-grade crystal.

"Officer Hoang, eat this crystal. You'll get better," Lam Pham said softly.

Officer Hoang showed some resistance, as if to say, "Are you trying to bribe me?"

But Lam Pham directly pulled off Officer Hoang's mask, pried open his mouth, and shoved the multicolored crystal inside.

He knew Officer Hoang was a man of principle. But he, Lam Pham, had his own principles as well.

And when these two sets of principles clashed, his would come out on top.

As Officer Hoang swallowed the crystal.

Lam Pham stood to the side, watching.

The multicolored crystal's effect was potent. A low sound escaped from Officer Hoang as the flesh and blood at the stump of his severed arm began to churn. Like a regenerating limb, a new arm was about to grow back.

Chu Quy and the others had long felt that something was off about Officer Hoang.

When his armor was intact, they didn't know what he looked like underneath. But after his arm was torn off, a normal person would have let out a scream of agony.

Yet Officer Hoang didn't. He didn't even make a sound.

Also, the blood he shed seemed different from human blood.

Upon seeing Officer Hoang consume the crystal.

They had their answer in their hearts.

This Officer Hoang was a zombie.

Were they afraid?

If this were the beginning, they certainly would have been afraid. After all, zombies in their minds were terrifying existences. But after what had just happened, they felt no fear at all.

He had risked his life to protect them.

Even if he was a zombie, he was a zombie they cherished.

They would cherish as many as came.

Lam Pham watched intently. "He's recovering so fast."

A smile finally appeared on his face.

Officer Hoang stood up. He looked a bit wretched at the moment. The armor that had been meticulously reinforced for him was severely damaged. He would have to forge even stronger armor for Officer Hoang.

Thinking of Armor 2.0, he decided to set Officer Hoang up properly.

Officer Hoang's encounters with zombies in the outside world were often terrifying.

He didn't want to see any harm come to Officer Hoang. These days, Officer Hoang was no longer as headstrong as he used to be. He would retreat from zombies he couldn't fight. However, if ordinary civilians were in danger, he would not leave, fighting until his last breath.

He valued the safety of ordinary citizens more than his own life.

Old Wang and the others approached.

Chu Quy spoke politely, "Did you see a human? His name is Kim Minh Hao. He's the one who lured us here."

"Kim Minh Hao?"

"Yes, he was the one who made the broadcast. We even saw him among the zombie horde earlier." Chu Quy felt that this man was the true mastermind.

Lam Pham shook his head. "I didn't see him."

Although he had killed the zombies quickly, he had seen clearly that they were all zombies, not a single human among them.

He knew some humans cooperated with zombies. There were humans who once worked with the Zombie God, luring Awakened ones for the zombies. Such actions were, frankly, a disaster. Humans were highly vigilant against zombies, but their vigilance towards their own kind was often not as strong.

Even if they were initially vigilant, under the guise of the other party's performance, they could easily be deceived and fall into a trap.

Chu Quy's face showed regret. "What a shame, we let that guy escape. Who knows how many more people he'll lure to their deaths."

Lam Pham pondered for a moment. "It's alright. I'll find him one day."

He had a feeling that the person who escaped knew who he was.

Under normal circumstances, the opponent had a huge advantage with the fusion-type zombie. In this apocalypse, as long as one didn't encounter a Creator or him, Lam Pham, they were basically invincible.

But even in such a situation, the man had fled early.

It meant he knew him.

He knew who he was.

He understood deeply that even with a fusion-type zombie, it was impossible to defeat him.

A moment later.

Lam Pham looked at them and said, "Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Lam Pham, from the Sunshine Shelter in Hoang City. You know Officer Hoang's situation. That's right, he is a zombie, but he is a police officer with wisdom and faith, an existence we humans can trust forever."

He didn't want Officer Hoang to be met with strange looks.

The difference between a human and a zombie was often not that important.

A human could be more evil than a zombie.

And a zombie could be more friendly than a human.

Old Wang said, "We understand. If it weren't for Officer Hoang protecting us, I think we would have died at the hands of those zombies long ago."

Lam Pham revealed a gratified smile. It was good that they understood.

This was what he wanted to see most.

After introductions, he learned their names. They were all survivors in the apocalypse, and to have survived until now was truly not easy.

He extended an invitation to them.

He invited them to join the Sunshine Shelter, to work with him and Officer Hoang to continuously strive, strengthen the shelter, and give them enough power to fight against the zombies.

Faced with the invitation, Old Wang and the others were ecstatic. If they could have a stable life, who would want to wander outside?

As for whether the other party was trustworthy or not.

They didn't even need to have such a thought.

The man's strength was on full display. If he had any ill intentions towards them, they would have no way to resist. In the face of absolute power, no one would be foolish enough to play at schemes.

So, they had to see the reality clearly.

Outside.

"Wait for me here. I'll be back soon," Lam Pham said.

Then, right before their eyes, he leaped up and quickly vanished into the distance. Chu Quy, Old Wang, and the others stared into the distance, silent for a long time before one of them slowly uttered a sentence.

"He's like a god."

Lam Pham didn't take them with him. He knew that Officer Hoang usually left after a job was done. So, by leaving the survivors here, Officer Hoang would stay behind to guard them until he returned.

It wasn't long.

When Lam Pham returned, he was carrying a black case. He opened it, and nestled inside was the Armor 2.0, with its black and white interwoven pattern.

"Officer Hoang, brand new armor. It will become your strongest aide."

He removed the severely damaged armor from Officer Hoang's body.

The destructive power of the fusion-type zombie was too immense. Even armor reinforced with crystals had been shattered like this. A body of flesh and blood would have been obliterated long ago.